Why is my older dog leaking urine in her sleep? Should I worry?

Dribbling urine is not normal and can be a sign of urinary incontinence. Other issues such as bladder infections or muscular/nerve issues may also cause incontinence. Since your girl is a senior and is also spayed, it is possible the muscles surrounding her bladder have weakened. It is best to schedule a veterinary exam as soon as possible as well as bring in a sample of her urine to check for common issues such as infections. Your vet can then recommend treatment as needed depending on the underlying cause such as antibiotics to treat infection, or medications to increase bladder tone.

It could be Willow is suffering from spay incontinence. Lack of estrogen may cause the urethral sphincter (a muscle used to control the exit of urine) to relax and release urine involuntarily. The good news is this can be treated medically if this is what is happening with her. I should have her seen by a vet for this problem. I hope this helps!

The most likely fluid in a spayed female dog would be urine. When a dog dribbles urine or leaves spots of urine on the bedding I often think about urinary tract infections. Older dogs can also develop urinary sphyncter incompetence (or a weak sphyncter), making it difficult for them to hold their bladder overnight. There are also less common causes, for instance bladder stones or endocrine diseases. Your veterinarian will likely offer to run a urinalysis, a urine culture, and maybe some bloodwork on Sassy to determine what might be causing the urine leaking. There are antibiotics we use for urinary tract infections and if it appears to be loss of bladder control there are medications to help with that as well. A visit to the vet should help you sort out the cause and hopefully get Sassy acting more like herself. I hope this was helpful!

Some females will develop incontinence after the spay. This does make them more prone to urinary tract infections and I do recommend to have Amber visit her veterinarian. The doctor will check her for a bladder infection and if that is clear they will discuss starting her on a medication to tighten the sphincter. This will likely stop the incontinence. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions!

This sounds quite frustrating for both you and Kira! It is possible that Kira could have something as simple as a urinary tract infection or even urinary incontinence. If she has been overall drinking and urinating larger volumes, there is a chance that she may have developed diabetes, kidney disease, Cushing's disease, etc. At this point, Kira should be examined by her vet and have some screening testing done to rule out underlying medical conditions (CBC, chemistry, urinalysis). If your vet suspects urinary incontinence after the preliminary diagnostics, they may discuss medications that can help control the urethral sphincter to prevent urine leakage.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Shadow is having urinary accidents in the house. There are numerous health conditions that can cause increased drinking and urination, including urinary tract infection, kidney disease, liver disease, Cushing's disease, Addison's disease, behavioral conditions, even certain cancers. Shadow may have urinary incontinence, which is not uncommon in female dogs. I recommend having Shadow evaluated by your primary veterinarian, who may recommend blood and/or urine tests to see if she has an underlying reason for her increased drinking and urination. I hope this is helpful!

It could actually be spay incontinence. Lack of estrogen may cause the urethral sphincter (a muscle used to control the exit of urine) to relax and release urine involuntarily. This can be treated with medication. I'd have Coco seen by a vet for this issue.